The Road to Baghdad
by Storybookgirl08
Summary: Ruth is angry and hurt. Angela Wells has just put Adam in ITU and Harry realises how much damage he may have done asking her to lie. Colin sees it all and wonders if they can fix it. Post 4.10 oneshot
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer I do not own Spooks. No copyright infringment is intended or should be inferred.**

**The Road to Bagdad**

Colin looked around the Grid, surprised for a moment that he was still there when the majority of the staff had headed off once the paramedics and police had cleaned up. He took his glasses off and immediately put them back on again when he realised he wasn't completely alone.

"Long day." He smiled as he walked across to Ruth, the only other soul left on the Grid. She nodded sadly as she thought about everything that had happened since Angela Wells had broken into her house.

"It is." She smiled slightly as Colin rested against Zaf's desk. "Getting held hostage by a rouge agent and watching a mate get shot is kind of exhausting. I have no idea how the field officers do it. Give me my gadgets any day."

Ruth smiled. The technical officer was really one of life's gentle types. She still wasn't quite sure how he had ended up working in counter terrorism.

"Zaf has taken Jo home. She was a bit shaken up."

"Malcolm left ten minutes ago. Any news on Adam?"

"Harry went to the hospital with him." Ruth stared at her desk as she spoke. Colin nodded. He was beginning to see what Zaf saw. It was obvious Ruth had feelings for their boss. He knew she would get upset if he mentioned it so he decided to keep on topic. Zaf's book was not exactly common knowledge anyway.

"I can't believe we dug that hole to escape." He shook his head as Ruth smirked.

"Internal Affairs are going to want to know how that happened."

"Mice." Colin deadpanned as Ruth shook her head smiling. "Really, really big mice."

"That just happen to be named Colin and Malcolm by any chance?" Ruth teased as Colin tried his best to look innocent.

"Maybe." He smiled back. "How's Wes? I mean first his Mum and now Adam. How old is he, anyway?"

"Seven."

"Shit." Colin was suddenly serious again. "Poor kid. You were brilliant today, by the way."

"A born spook." Ruth narrowed her eyes as she remembered Harry almost pinning her to the wall after she had told more lies than she had ever in her life. Sighing, she knew that the lies were only what people back home had thought of her. It wasn't even her lie, it was just what her mother and step father had hoped to be true. Rather than think the worst of their golden boy.

"Yeah."

"Did everyone hear?"

"I think so." Colin frowned. "It was a brilliant lie. Any of it true?"

"He was my step brother. I did run away but the rest was a fairy story. Angela was wrong, there was no conspiracy theory. Peter Robert Wells was a nasty man, a violent alcoholic that killed himself." Ruth played with the edge of her cardigan as she spoke. Colin watched her retreat into her shell as the Pod doors wooshed open.

"Adam is stable. His mum is on the way from Blackpool. Jo and Zaf have taken Wes for the night."

"Jo?"

"Yes Colin. Joanna Portman."

"Right." He picked up his jacket as he felt the atmosphere in the room change. Suddenly he felt surplus to requirements. He smiled at Ruth before slipping out of the Pods. Harry hadn't even noticed he had gone.

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"Ruth." Harry walked towards her. Ruth looked away as he approached. "Who ordered the kill shot?"

"Juliet." Ruth sighed. "I knew she had the codes so I called her."

"Juliet is in the UK? Now I am really worried."

Ruth smiled slightly as he came to stand in front of her. He fought to stop himself from touching her. "I thought you might need the back up."

"Thank you." Harry's voice was warmer than she had ever known. He had been softer with her recently, she had been beginning to see the man he was away from the Grid. Closing her eyes she tried not to think about how close they were, how she had argued with him in the corridor when all she really wanted him to do was hold her as she tried to force her lies away from her.

"Adam is going to be ok?"

"Yes."

"I thought she had shot you." Ruth almost whispered. "I saw it on the CCTV. I saw Adam hit the floor and then you. I was certain she had killed you both."

"Oh Ruth." She closed her eyes as she heard him say her name. No one ever said it quite the way Harry did. Before he knew what he had done he had pulled Ruth into his arms, holding her as if she was a china doll that could break at any second. The thought that she actually cared if he was killed made him happier than he thought imaginable. This quirky, intelligent woman who was a natural spook actually cared. He closed his eyes as he felt her rest her hands on his chest and push him away slightly.

"Harry."

"I have to appologise."

"Why?"

"If I had known about your history I never would have asked you to go head to head with Angela. I am so sorry."

"You read my file. What is in my file anyway?" 

"Alot of things from GCHQ. Your educational history. There is your personal file but I don't read that as a rule. I should but I prefer to make my own opinions of the people I choose to join our team. If I read it I never would have put you in that position. I am so sorry."

"Harry Pearce appologising." She smiled slightly as she tried not to cry in front of her boss.

"It has been known." Harry smiled slightly as he found himself mesmerised by the entire situation. The dippy, clumsy analyst that fought with angle poise lamps had actually turned out to be one of the strongest people he had ever met. "I promise you, if I had realised what he had done. I read the file, I had already known about your dad dying and your mum remarrying."

"I do not broadcast my personal business Harry. And anyway if you had known, how would we had gotten Jo out of there? She's new. As green as grass."

"There would have been another way. I don't know what but I would have found it."

"Harry." Ruth stared at his tie as she realised he still had a hand on her waist.

"I am so sorry."

"What did you read?"

"I had it emailed to me when I was waiting for Adam to come out of surgery. I was worried because I had never seen you react the way you did earlier. It says about you going to boarding school, a teenage runaway with a violent, alcoholic step brother who was in the army. I read about a teenage pregnancy."

"Not what you were expecting."

"No." Harry sighed. "The baby?"

"My daughter." Ruth sighed as tears filled her eyes. "Was born two days after I turned sixteen. Perfect, but too early. She was 2lb 6 oz and had my hair. She died six hours later. Harry closed his eyes and swore. He could only guess who the baby's father had been. The thought made him sick. The thought of Ruth going through what she had almost killed him. The guilt at making her face Angela and lie as she had almost destroyed him on the spot.

"Ruth."

"Her name was Chloe Rose." Ruth smiled. "Harry, I."

"Ruth." He stepped back as she looked away. "No one will ever hear it from me. But to do what you did today was amazing. Even more so with what I read. Ruth, you are a born spook."

"Maybe." She smiled slightly at the genuine praise in his voice. He stepped back and held her gaze as the Pods opened once more. Colin blushed furiously as he almost ran to his desk to retrieve forgotten car keys. Ruth looked away and blushed as Colin jogged out of the Grid, trying to be as unnoticed as possible. He really had thought Zaf had a point. Digging in his wallet he wondered if it was too late to put a bet on.

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Harry cursed under his breath as Colin disappeared for a second time that night. He knew he had to ask Ruth, there was no one else he would trust to take with him. She was the only one that had the intelligence and the espionage skills to make the operation work. He kicked himself as he realised his timing. Adam was still on life support, Jo was traumatised and Colin was behaving very strangely.

"Ruth, say no if you want to."

"What?" Ruth sighed.

"I don't want to put you under any pressure. We had some intel about the uranium Six were chasing. The DG wants me to go to Iraq and locate it before Saddam's ill gotten gains get into the wrong hands. I need an analyst with me. Ruth, say no if you want to."

"When do we leave?" She held his gaze as he smiled.

"Tomorrow. But Ruth?"

"You need an analyst. I am an analyst. Today has been awful but we can move on from this. You said it yourself, you need me."

Harry nodded as he met her eyes. He knew in that instant, she was right. He did.

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A/N Please review. I never wrote anything with Colin in before so I wanted to see if I could. Please review.


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer not mine**

**Legends**

Ruth stared at herself in the mirror as she tried to calm the nerves building in her stomach. It had been a sleepless night and she knew the next few days were just as likely to be as sleepless. Brushing her hair away from her face she had no idea what the rest of the Grid would think about her disappearing to the Gulf for goodness knows how long. Shaking her head slightly she decided it was best not to think about it. Not when there was a very good chance neither of them would be back. She was brought back to reality with the knock on her front door.

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"So no Harry and no Ruth." Zaf smirked as he sat at his desk. Malcolm nodded.

"And no Adam. Has anyone called the hospital?" Colin leant against Ruth's abandoned desk as Jo nodded.

"Yes, his mum picked Wes up this morning. Apparently they moved Adam from ITU in the early hours of this morning. He's still in a bad way but he is breathing on his own now, which has to be a good thing."

"Thank God." Malcolm smiled slightly. He genuinely liked all the field officers, each one seemed to appreciate the work the desk officers did. _Not like in Tom Quinn's day. _He thought to himself as Colin raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah, so where are Harry and Ruth?"

"You reckon I should just get rid of the book now?" Zaf smirked as Jo shot him a filthy look. "What?"

"Ruth has taken some time off. After yesterday she wanted to take some leave. I am assuming Harry has approved that." Malcolm lied fluently. He knew Harry didn't want the rest of the team to know he was on a black op in the Gulf. "Harry had to go to a conference with Six and the cousins."

"He never mentioned it." Zaf spoke calmly. "Who's in charge while he's not here?"

"Me." Malcolm stated calmly as he glanced at the clock. "Now, I suggest you all get on with the work we never really managed to complete during yesterday's fiasco." He walked towards his desk as Colin and Jo exchanged glances. Both had a feeling the mild mannered techi was covering for Harry but both knew he would never ever admit to it.

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Harry smiled slightly as Ruth got in the car next to him. She swallowed hard as she fought to put her seatbelt on. Harry reached across and tugged the belt into place as Ruth blushed furiously.

"Are you sure I'm the right person for this? Wouldn't you be better taking Malcolm with you? Or Jo? I know Adam would be the obvious choice, if he hadn't been injured. He has more experience in the Middle East." Ruth looked out of the car window as Harry drove off. She knew she was rambling but couldn't help it.

"None of them are analysts. Did you read the legend? Malcolm is the only other person who is aware of what we are doing." Harry drove as Ruth nodded.

"Yes, but if the DG ordered you to go I don't see why."

"Ruth, the DG ordered me to go as a Black Op. That's why I was so reluctant to ask you. If something goes wrong, then we are on our own."

"Right." Ruth felt sick at the thought she could die in a foreign country. "These Legends?"

"Ah, yes." Harry kept his eyes on the road as Ruth smirked slightly. "Not what you were expecting?"

"No Harry, not at all what I was expecting." Ruth tried to keep the smile out of her voice as Harry pulled the car onto the motorway.

"Well, it seemed easier if I was a businessman working for an Oil company with interests in Iraq while you were."

"Your PA? Harry, people are going to assume." She sighed.

"That we're having an affair." Harry finished for her.

"Yes." Ruth sighed. "I mean, not me and you but..."

"Rebecca and James." Harry finished her sentance. "I should have spoken to you but it seemed safer if people assumed we were a couple. I mean it's your first and last Black Op. In a foreign country and it may be safer if people assumed we were together." Harry tried not to blush as he spoke. Ruth smiled slightly as she watched her normally stoic boss actually embarrassed.

"Ok." Ruth bit her bottom lip as she fought not to smile. Harry pulled the car into the parking lot of the Army Airbase that would be responsible for flying them out to Baghdad. He killed the engine as he watched his army counterpart, Aiden Dempsey walk towards him. For a moment he regretted asking Ruth to accompany him. It was too dangerous, she wasn't a field agent but then he remembered how she had kept her head in front of Angela Wells and before that when Adam had been facing a madman with a crossbow. Sighing heavily he turned to Ruth as she rested a hand on his arm.

"Harry?"

"I'm fine." He held her gaze for a moment as she nodded.

"Really?"

"Yes." He smiled as his skin seemed to burn under her touch.

"Good, because if we are going to do this. Find the uranium and hide it out of harm's way for the next million years then we have to be completely honest with each other. These legends Malcolm put together are pretty convincing on paper."

"He's very precise."

"He is." Ruth smiled as Harry tried not to think of her as anything other than his junior officer.

"It's a long flight to Baghdad."

"Yes." Ruth held his gaze. "I may just have time to go through the legends again. Someone out there is bound to ask questions that a real couple would be able to answer without thinking."

"We need that sort of clarity." Harry nodded.

"Yes." Ruth hated that she was reduced to one word answers by the look in Harry's eye. He knew more about her than any of her friends and colleagues on the Grid. None of them knew about Chloe and they had all swallowed the lie she had told Angela._I must be a better field officer than I thought. Maybe Harry was right to think I can do this. _She smiled to herself as Harry got out the car. Seconds later she followed him wondering what the trip would bring and just hoping they would get back to London in one piece.

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A/N ok, not the best chapter but it sets up the next one. Harry and Ruth in the Gulf and Adam finds out! Please review.


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer not mine. Thankyou so much for the fantastic reviews to this story. I didn't intend to go past chapter 1!**

**Dreams**

Harry smiled slightly as he realised Ruth was sleeping peacefully next to him. He was relieved she was finally able to get some rest, knowing that she probably hadn't slept since Angela Wells had broken into her house less than 48 hours earlier. He glanced around at the other passengers on the Kuwait bus. He knew Dempsey would never have been able to fly them into the heart of Iraq but Kuwait City was a little further away than he had anticipated. The bus was swelteringly hot and he couldn't wait to get to the hotel. He just prayed there would be no delays at the Iraqi/Kuwait boarder. The thought of any more trouble made him feel sick. _Too long behind a desk, loosing my touch. _He beratred himself as he turned to Ruth.

He couldn't help but smile as he noticed Ruth had rested her head on his shoulder and had slipped her hand into his. _The legend. _He reminded himself. _She isn't Ruth at the moment. I'm not Harry. This is James and Rebecca. That's all. Back to normal the moment we get back to London. Look but don't touch, she's too young for an old fool like me. And far too beautiful. Stupid old man. _He narrowed his eyes as Ruth frowned in her sleep, clearly distressed by whatever was running through her dreams. He closed his eyes for a moment as the guilt washed over him. _One minute I'm asking her to lie to save us all, the next I'm dragging her into a war zone. _He opened his eyes again as he heard Ruth mutter something unintelligable in her sleep.

"SSh" He kissed her hair as her eyes fluttered open.

"I." She lifted her head for a moment as Harry smiled at her. "Sorry."

"Don't appologise." Harry smiled at her as she rested her head back against the bus seat.

"How much longer?"

"We've just reached the Kuwait border." He watched as she nodded. "Not long until we reach the hotel now."

"Ok."

"Are you sure about this?"

"Yes." Ruth smiled at him as she squeezed his hand. "I know the legend."

"I know." He nodded.

"It's the questions other people are going to ask that I am worried about. I mean, there are going to be other people there. I mean it isn't just us that are going to be at the hotel."

"True." Harry smiled slightly, knowing that Ruth would be the one to look at the practicalities. "The Israeli secret services will want to get to the uranium too. The Americans probably know about it and will want to broker a deal." His voice was almost too quiet to be heard as Ruth leant into him. "Not to mention the Iraqi's that aren't caught up in the war. And there's the chance that AQ will want a piece of the action."

"Oh God." Ruth visibly paled in front of him. "If they get hold of it."

"They wont."

Ruth sighed heavily, reassured by Harry's determination. She shook her head and looked out of the window at the blistering hot sun. In a land so far away from the rain, pollution and hustle and bustle of the city it seemed unbelievable that they were headed into a war zone.

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"Malcolm." Zaf walked across the Grid towards the older man.

"Yes, Zafar." Malcolm raised an eyebrow as he looked at the clock. He knew Harry and Ruth should be somewhere near Baghdad by now.

"Internal Affairs are on line one. Something about mice?" Colin chocked on his coffee as he overheard Zaf causing Malcolm to close his eyes and swear under his breath.

"Thank you." He picked up the phone as Zaf smirked and walked off towards Jo.

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The hotel was bathed in darkness as Harry picked up their bags. The bullet holes in the side of the building accompanied by the huge pot holes in the road highlighted the damage done to the city by both the Iraqi forces and the Co alition during the early part of the Second Gulf War. He glanced across at Ruth who had been quiet since the bus had dropped them off.

"Rebecca?" Harry smiled as Ruth raised an eyebrow.

"Yes James." She smiled back as Harry felt the dead weight around his heart lift. Ruth was definately less angry with him than she had been when he had found her on the Grid. She slipped her hand into his free one as they walked across the courtyard to the hotel entrance.

"It's insane." Ruth half whispered. "We're in one of the most wartorn countries on the planet and we're booking into a hotel."

"Ah yes." Harry paused. "Um, I should have mentioned it before now."

"What?" Ruth smiled slightly at the thought of Harry embarrassed around her, it was quite endearing when she thought of the man that ran the Grid. He could be almost ruthless when needed. To see him as embarrassed as a school boy was quite sweet, which was a word she would never use around him.

"The legends state we are a couple."

"I know." Ruth blushed.

"So, there is only one room. We, er we have to share."

"Oh." Ruth blushed furiously as Harry held her gaze. "I'm sure it'll be fine. We're adults. We're here to work, after all." Ruth bit her lip as Harry nodded. Neither were aware of the tall, thin man watching them from the shadows.

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A/N More soon.


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer I still do not own Spooks**

**Trust**

Ruth smiled slightly as Harry unlocked the door to their room. She had observed him in a million and one life threatening situations but he seemed to be beaten by a small key in a wooden door.

"Are you ok? James?" She smiled as he closed his eyes.

"It's this key."

"Ok." She looked along the corridor as the sight of an olive skinned man caught her eyes. "Um."

"What is it?" Harry sighed in relief as his key finally worked.

"Do you know him?" Ruth inclined her head slightly as Harry felt her tense.

"Mani."

"So I can take that as a yes." Ruth stated rather than asked as she walked into the small hotel room, unsurprised to discover she and Harry would be sharing what was essentially just a bedroom with a kettle in the corner.

"He's ex Israeli Secret Service. Adam's counterpart in Mossad."

Ruth closed her eyes as she rested her head back against the now closed hotel room door. Harry watched for a moment as she processed the information. He could almost hear her brain piecing it all together.

"Ex Mossad."

"Yes." Harry stared at her.

"Why? Why is he no longer with them and what is he doing here? I thought you had a contact in the CIA that would help us find and hide the merchandise." Ruth opened her eyes to see Harry staring at her.

"I did. I heard he had slept with his boss' daughter. His boss didn't take kindly to that little revelation, trust me. If Yusef has let him go rather than kill him on the spot some deal has been done. What I don't know is what. I imagine he is here for the same reason we are."

"Oh God."

"He's clever and extremely cunning but also very arrogant. There is a chance he didn't recognise me. He may have just saw you." He watched as her eyes flashed in anger and confusion.

"You are not going to dignify that statement with another comment." Ruth growled as Harry realised what he had said. If Ruth was anything it was determined. She relied on her intellect rather than her looks like some of the field officers had to. He cursed himself knowing that Fiona, Jo, Helen and Zoe were all intelligent women but had also relied on their looks to get them in the front door Ruth never would. He turned to face her as she crossed to the window and looked out over the bombed streets.

"Ruth."

"Rebecca." Ruth corrected. "Look, we are here to get that merchandise. Nothing else. If you think we can outwit this Mani then I trust you."

"Thank you."

Ruth smiled slightly as Harry got the feeling he was forgiven.

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Everything ached. That was the first thing Adam realised as he opened his eyes. His chest burned with the effort of breathing and he was convinced that at least two of his ribs were broken.

"Good morning." He closed his eyes as he heard the familiar voice. For a moment he had been expecting to hear Fiona berate him for another late night out with Zaf, Harry and the other lads from the Grid. The comforting sound of his mother's voice was not what he was expecting to hear.

"Mum?"

"I'm here son. Wes is ok. He's with Joanna. She's a lovely girl."

"Yeah." Adam smiled slightly as he opened his eyes. "I."

"Harry called me. He has had to go away for a few days. You are going to be fine. Oh, my boy." Eleanor closed her eyes. "What did I tell you when you got involved in all this? Be careful. First Fiona and now you. Have you even considered what would happen to Wes? If he didn't have you?"

"I'm going to be ok." Adam squeezed the older woman's hand. "Mum, don't. Don't cry."

"Don't you tell me what to do. If you are Godforbid in my position you'd cry." She sniffed as Adam nodded, knowing he'd move Hell and high water to protect Wes. Then he realised his mum had probably thought the same thing about him.

"Love you Mum." Adam whispered as he fell back into a peaceful sleep.

"I know son." Eleanor kissed his forehead before leaving the room.

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Ruth stared out over the Baghdad sunset as Harry sat on the bed. A few papers littered the bed as Harry stared anxiously at the phone.

"I wonder how Adam is." Ruth half sighed.

"When we get back to Kuwauit City I'll call Malcolm." Harry closed his eyes as Ruth nodded. She knew he considered the team as his second family. The fact that Adam had been shot just a few centimeters away from him had almost broken his heart. She knew him well enough to know he felt the loss of every team member and thought it was his duty to make sure they were safe. Adam getting hurt would have hurt him as much as Danny and Fiona's deaths had rocked the team.

"Ok." Ruth nodded as she crossed to the bed. "When are we meeting your contact?"

"Breakfast tomorrow. I have a business meeting with Jack Gibson. He's an old contact from my time in Moscow."

"You served in Moscow?" Ruth's eyes widened as she realised she knew hardly anything about Harry's past.

"Yes, about two years before I took this job. Wasn't there for very long, six month secondment to Six. Got a bullet in my knee and ended up behind a desk." His eyes darkened as he remembered it. "Jack saved my neck."

"You're not behind a desk now." Ruth smiled as she touched his hand. Harry nodded and smiled back as the sunset seemed to cast shadows around the room he hadn't noticed before.

"True." He held her gaze. "I'm meeting him at 6 am."

"We are." Ruth watched as Harry inclined his head, apparently relenting.

"So."

"So we should get some sleep." Ruth stated as Harry got up and began hiding the papers.

"Yes." Harry looked up as he realised there was only the bed or the half broken chair Ruth had thrown her cardigan over earlier. "I'll take the floor."

"Harry." Ruth half whispered as he smiled slightly. He knew it was safe to use their real names in the privacy of the room. He had swept it for bugs the moment they had arrived.

"Yes?"

"I am not letting you sleep on the floor. The bed isn't exactly small and I trust you. That is, if you trust me." Ruth hated the way her cheeks burned.

"I trust you." He smiled as Ruth nodded. He knew something in her eyes begged him not to push her statement further, he was a spook. He knew there were very few people in general and men in particular Ruth would ever trust. Without saying another word Ruth closed the heavily patterned curtain as they prepared to go to sleep.

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A/N More soon.


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer not mine.**

**In the Heat of the Night.**

Harry stared at the ceiling as he tried to get some was impossibly hot and his inability to get any rest was not helped by the fact he had realised he was in love with his intel analyst and that he was in bed with the woman. Ruth had been right, they would need to be at their best in the morning when they met Jack and he couldn't help but worry why Mani was there. He knew the intelligence officer was one of the best but his allegience had never really been with Mossad. It was just them that paid him once. He had the skills of Adam Carter but was as ruthless as Tessa Philips and Oliver Mace combined. It depended on his mood whether he was friend or foe which was a quality Harry just couldn't understand. He closed his eyes hardly able to belive what was happening. He was in bed with Ruth. Ruth Evershed, his intel analyst. And he was being the perfect gentleman. Rolling his eyes he knew there was nothing else to be done. Ruth trusted him. That was all that mattered, the clumsy, quiet but intelligent woman had trusted him not to hurt her. She had told him things no one else knew. He closed his eyes knowing that he would cheerfully kill the man that had destroyed not only her faith in his gender but also the one woman who should have belived her over everyone else. _No wonder she didn't tell anyone about little Chloe. Explains the reasons she lived with her aunt before university and the 'lost weekend' in her records. That must have been Chloe's birthday. _He turned on his side as Ruth rolled onto her back, sleeping soundly. _She'd be a fantastic mum. I'm glad that bastard is dead. If he wasn't. _Harry stopped his train of thought as he realised Ruth was having a nightmare.

"Hey." He watched as tears streamed down her face as she thrashed her arm around. "Ruth."

"Not lying." She mumbled as Harry felt his heart break.

"I know." He mumbled as he reached out to stop her hitting him. Ruth fell silent for a moment before sitting bolt upright in bed, breathing heavily. "Hey."

"I." She ran her hand through her hair as Harry sat next to her.

"It's ok." He rested a hand on her back as she refused to meet his eyes. "Ruth."

"God. I'm sorry." She mumbled as Harry raised an eyebrow.

"Why?"

"For waking you." She closed her eyes as he began rubbing small soothing circles on her back.

"I was awake anyway. It's too hot to sleep."

"Harry, I."

"How long have you been having these dreams?" He sensed she needed to talk but that she would never be the one to start.

"Since." She paused. "Since he, since I was. I didn't want to sleep with him. I am not like that. I was fifteen."

"I know." Harry kept his voice calm as she finally looked at him. "I know, Ruth I know." She nodded as he hugged her to him. "I guessed he was Chloe's father."

"Harry."

"Ruth, rest. You said it yourself we need our sleep if we are going to get back to London in one piece." He laid back down with her in his arms as held her to him. Ruth's head rested on his chest and for that moment she couldn't feel uncomfortable.

"Harry, I."

"Just go to sleep." His fingers ran through her hair slowly as her eyes fell closed. She had no idea he was not going to get any sleep but couldn't fight the need to close her eyes anymore. Harry kissed her hair as she realised it was the first time in too many years that she actually felt loved.

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"You've seen them." The olive skinned woman raised an eyebrow as Mani smiled.

"I did."

"And?"

"And I can safely say the english couple are not who they seem to be."

"Why are you so certain?" The woman leant forward as Mani laughed. His eyes bored into hers as she spoke.

"You doubt me? That is something I would gravely advice against."

"I do not need your advice. I need to know who else wants the uranium."

"And you will." He got to his feet as she glared at him. "You will."

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A/N More soon. Thanks for all the encouragement with this story. Please review.


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer not mine. Thank you all so much for the response to this story. **

**Awake.**

Harry opened his eyes slowly as the alarm on his watch bleeped. He knew he had to meet Jack within the next two hours but the last thing he wanted to do was wake Ruth. He smiled slightly as he watched her sleep in his arms, her head was still pillowed on his chest as he realised their legs were entwined with each other. He closed his eyes as he realised another five minutes couldn't hurt.

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Colin pushed his glasses further up his nose as Zaf jogged onto the Grid. It had only been three days since Ruth had gone on leave and Harry disappeared to his mysterious conference.

"Any news from Ruth?" Colin asked as Zaf shook his head.

"It isn't like her to disappear when Adam is in hospital." Zaf sighed as he sat at his desk.

"No." Colin shrugged, "She's your best friend."

"Yeah." Zaf agreed. "That's why I know her suddenly dropping off the radar is not normal for her."

"Maybe she just needed a little time." Jo sighed as she rested her head on her hand. "You know, after talking that psycho bitch down."

"Yeah." Colin agreed as Zaf frowned.

"Right." All three spooks looked up and groaned as Malcolm walked out of the Briefing Room, none of them would admit it but they all missed Harry.

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Ruth woke with a start, immediately unsure of where she was. It was then she realised Harry was still holding her as he snored softly. Blushing furiously she thought back over what had happened the night before. She couldn't help but smile as she realised that once she had settled back to sleep after her nightmare it was the best night's sleep she had for years. Sighing heavily she slipped out of his arms and began to get dressed hoping that Harry wouldn't wake to find her infilgrante.

"Harry." She whispered as she sat back on the bed. Harry groaned as the smell of fresh coffee hit his nostrils.

"Morning." He mumbled as his eyes stayed closed.

"Coffee, then hurry up." She smiled as he pouted. "We have to meet Jack in an hour. And your friends are still in the hotel."

"Mani is no friend of mine." Harry grumbled as he took the mug from her as Ruth raised an eyebrow.

"Then how do you know he wont blow our cover? I mean James and Rebecca are hardly going to know someone from Mossad. Malcolm may have created our legends but he didn't put anything in there about them knowing members of the Israeli intelligence service." Ruth got up and paced to the window as Harry watched her.

"He wont."

"How do you know?"

"Because there is nothing in it for him. Mani is a mercenary at best. Nothing he does is motivated by anything other than money. If needs be I'll bribe him." Harry smiled slightly as Ruth rolled her eyes.

"Sorry if I seem a little nervous." She looked away. "Only I've never been involved in an illegal arms deal before."

"And you are not now."

"Aren't I?"

"Ruth." Harry got out of bed as Ruth closed her eyes, afraid to look anywhere while Harry was walking towards her with no shirt on. "Listen to me, please."

"I am."

"If this uranium gets into the wrong hands." He paused as Ruth opened her eyes and looked at him.

"I know." She sighed. "I know what could happen. I spend my life analysing facts and figures, interperating threats and potential threats. I know what this stuff can do in the wrong hands. I know the last people we want to have it is AQ. That's one reason I'm here."

"One reason?" He smiled as Ruth shook her head blushing.

"Get dressed Harry."

#####################

Adam woke to find himself alone in the room. His chest burned with the effort of breathing as he listened to the monitors he was attached to bleeping every few seconds. He smiled as the door opened and Jo wandered in smiling.

"Hi."

"Jo." Adam tried not to cough as he spoke. Jo sat at his bedside as he tried to work out what the newest member of the team wanted. He knew Joanna Portman well enough to know when she wanted something.

"Adam, do you know anything about a conference with the cousins and MI6 that Harry would have to attend?" She asked innocently waiting to see if Adam would blow Harry's cousin.

"Yeah." Adam lied. "Yeah, I was supposed to go with him. Bit of a nightmare with Ruth having to go home to her mum."

"Ruth has gone home?" Jo's eyebrows shot up.

"Yeah." Adam paused. "She called here yesterday, to say sorry for not visiting. Her mum had a fall."

"Oh." Jo sighed. "Oh right."

Adam closed his eyes wondering what if anything his boss and his friend were getting up to now.

#####################

A/N More soon.


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer not mine.**

**Old Friends and New Enemies.**

Ruth glanced around the courtyard as the heat and humidy became almost oppressive despite the early hour. Harry squeezed her hand as she stared at the bullet hole in the side of the hotel wall. The once beautiful Baghdad Majestic was literally a shell of it's former self.

"You alright? Rebecca?" He whispered her alias as she nodded.

"This beautiful country. Destroyed by one man's need to control everything." She shook her head sadly as Harry stared at her. The way she worried about people and places she had no connection to made him worry about her. She smiled slightly as she realised Harry hadn't taken his eyes off her since they had left the hotel room.

"Most of the damage was done in the first Gulf War." He sighed. "When the Kuwait invasion happened the Yanks and the UK were backed by the UN. It was a difficult time."

"I was at GCHQ then." Ruth sighed. "I probably heard more about what happened to those poor Kurdish people and the innocent Iraqi's and Kuwaities than you can ever know. It was an awful time to be at GCHQ. I think it was then I realised I had to get out."

"I'm glad you did." He squeezed her hand as she shook her head, the present day occupying her thoughts.

"Jack is late."

"He's always late." Harry smiled. "Now come on, there's a cafe just down here. The boy on the hotel reception told me his brother owns it. Apparently they have a few westerners that still go there. It should be ok." Ruth nodded as they left the courtyard.

"HEY! HEY!" Ruth froze as she heard the distinctly American accent. Harry rolled his eyes as he mouthed the name 'Jack' before turning to see Jack running towards them. The middle aged CIA officer looked far to overweight and unfit to be running after them.

"Jack." Harry nodded as Jack smiled. He had completely forgotten the alias' Harry had told him. Instead he grabbed Ruth into a bear hug as Harry glared at him.

"Names?" He whispered in her ear as Ruth frowned.

"Rebecca and James." Ruth half whispered.

"Hey James!" Jack recovered and grabbed Harry's hand in a double handed hand shake. Ruth smirked slightly as she watched the pair. It was clear Harry was annoyed with the other man.

"Jack." Harry pulled his hand away. "We were beginning to think you weren't going to show."

"And miss seeing my old friends from the UK! Never! I know the oil buisiness is a small world these days but it isn't that small."

"True." Harry sighed, relieved that the older man seemed to remember the cover story he had given them for being in the country.

"We can't discuss anything out here. You wanna come back to my apartment?"

"You live here?" Ruth asked as Jack laughed.

"Well honey. Someone has to!" He ushered both her and Harry towards the black 4x4 in the courtyard. "The majority of locals don't really give a damn about a yank living here, it's the odd guy who still hates us after the war. President Bush's shock and awe is still a sore point in many people's minds. He certainly did cause an awful lot of shock but not much of the community was in awe of him."

"Indeed." Harry got into the front passenger seat as Ruth pulled her long navy skirt over her legs, conscious for the first time since leaving the hotel that they were in a predominantly Muslim society. She tugged her sleeves down as she prayed her research was right and she was dressed appropriately.

"Where are we going, exactly?" Ruth bit her lip as she asked.

"Oh, sorry." Jack sighed. "It's about ten minutes into the heart of the city. You know Baghdad was once a thriving place but it's still in recovery. The roads certainly aint what they could be. The potholes are going to play buggrey with your knee, Jim."

"James." Harry half snarled as he realised Jack was right, his knee was burning as if someone had shoved a hot poker in it. Ruth closed her eyes for a moment and prayed Jack was as trustworthy as Harry had believed him to be.

##########################

"Ruth has gone to her mother's." Jo stated as Colin frowned.

"I didn't think they got on." The quiet techi shrugged his shoulders as Zaf placed the drinks on the table in front of them. The bar in the George was packed with people attending a 21st birthday party. They were relegated to the corner booth, well out of the way of the young woman murdering a Kylie song.

"She doesn't." Zaf sat next to Jo as he spoke. "I'm not stopping, I said I'd call in to see Adam on my way home."

"He's going to be ok." Jo smiled.

"Thank God." Malcolm sighed as he sipped his scotch. "That poor child. First Fiona and now Adam."

"I know." Zaf sighed into his pint. "He's tougher than he looks and so is Wes. He's ok with his Nan."

"I said I'd take him to the fayre on Saturday." Jo beamed. "But now, back to Ruth. Why doesn't she get on with her mum?"

"Families are strange things." Colin shook his head.

"Yeah." Jo nodded, thinking of her own parents and their relationship. "But Harry has vanished too."

"Harry has not disappeared." Malcolm stated as Jo looked up innocently. "He is at a conference on counter terrorism strategies that he was supposed to attend with Adam. But you know why Adam was not able to attend." He watched as Jo nodded slightly. He couldn't help but feel relieved that Adam had gone along with the story once he had woken up from his induced coma.

"Where is this mystery conference?" Zaf asked.

"Well." Malcolm smiled. "Considering you need A1 clearance to be on the guest list I can imagine you need A1 clearance to know anything about it, including the location. All I know is Harry's counterpart in MI 6 will be there as will the Cousins."

"A week with the American cousins, Bertie from 6 and no Adam or Ruth to keep him calm." Jo pulled a face as Zaf laughed.

"It wont be good for his blood pressure." Colin laughed as Malcolm pulled a face.

######################

Ruth stepped out of the car as the midday sun almost melted the pavement beneath her feet. The street was silent as Jack unlocked his front door, an armoured guard watched from across the road as Harry rested a hand on Ruth's back. Moments later they were sat in Jack's living room while the older man stared at them.

"Harry, this place is clean."

Harry raised an eyebrow as Ruth felt her pulse quicken. She knew that using alias' were dangerous at the best of times. This was not the best of times. She remained silent as she watched the portly american wipe a hand over his sweaty face.

"What do you know about the uranium?" Jack asked as Harry displayed the best poker face Ruth had ever seen. For a moment she realied she had never really seen Harry in full spook mode before. Now she knew why he had been such a formidable field agent less than five years earlier. For a moment she was in awe, knowing that Zaf, Adam and Jo didn't come anywhere near the calibre Harry was.

"Jack, we don't have much time." He kept his voice level as Ruth was brought out of her thoughts.

"I get that."

"The." Ruth smiled slightly. "Can we get to the point? I'd like to know that stuff is safely out of harm's way."

"You heard the lady." Harry narrowed his eyes. Jack glanced from one spook to the other before he nodded.

"Right." He paused. "You guys will have one and I mean one chance to do this. Tomorrow morning. 4 am Iraq time there will be a convoy. My boys will help you."

"Your boys?" Harry scoffed.

"Leighton and Kirk. They are good agents and they want that crap out of circulation as much as we do. They will distract the convoy and get the stuff safely away. It is up to you where it is hidden."

"Ok." Harry conceeded. "I want confirmation."

"You'll get it. I'll call you. 6 am. Sharp." Jack held Harry's gaze as Ruth was left wondering what she had just witnessed. Harry stood and shook his hand, motioning for Ruth to follow him. Ruth smiled slightly at the older man. For the first time she had the feeling that she couldn't trust him as far as she could throw him.Harry nodded at Jack as he rested a hand on the small of her back and ushered her out of the apartment. It was along few minutes before either of them felt safe enough to talk again.

"I don't like it." Ruth bit her lip as Harry stared off into the sun.

"It wasn't that long ago I would trust that old soak with my life. Not now. Not after that aging James Bond preformance."

Ruth smiled at the analogy and blushed as Harry slipped his hand in hers and squeezed.

"Rebecca." She stopped in her tracks. Harry was impossibly close to her. The rest of the world seemd to fade away.

"Um?" She followed Harry's gaze. Shaking her head she failed to see what he was looking at. Then realisation dawned. "A taxi?"

"You really want to walk back to the Majestic in 30 degree heat? And the sun isn't even fully in the sky yet." He smiled, knowing Ruth would give in.

"Ok, but I still don't trust your friend. I need to get my hands on the itinery for the convoy. I need to." She was silenced by a kiss on the lips so brief she thought she had imagined it.

"We'll talk about this in private. Yes? Becky, we are being watched. What I just did could get us both put in prison but yet no one has stopped me from holding your hand or kissing you." He blushed slightly, wondering what it was about Ruth that reduced him to the emotional capacity of a horny teenage boy. Ruth nodded as her eyes widened in panic. Getting arrested in a foreign country was not something she wanted to happen.

"We're being watched." She repeated as Harry nodded.

"I'll call Malcolm when we get back. Check on Adam as well as see if we've ruffled any feathers. This whole thing stinks of Mace."

"Shit."

"Yeah, if he is involved there'll be alot of that." Harry narrowed his eyes as he walked towards the little white taxi. "If anyone asks, if any locals ask."

"Ask what?"

"About us. We're engaged. But you left your ring at home for safety. Ok?"

"Yes." Ruth bit her lip to stop her mind running away with her. "That would give us more freedom here and we're less likely to offend should you get the urge to maul me in public again." She smiled cheekily as Harry stepped into the back seat of the taxi next to her. He couldn't help but wonder if he could keep her safe at least until they got home.

####################

A/N I am by no means an expert of Iraqi or Kuwait culture. I hope this story isn't offending anyone and please review.


	8. Chapter 8

Disclaimer not mine.

Betrayal

Harry rolled his shirt sleeves up as he checked the hotel room for bugs and other listening devices he knew could have been planted when they were sat in Jack's living room. He silently cursed himself for dragging Ruth into the situation with him. Standing up he crossed the room to her as she shook her head slowly. He frowned for a moment before stepping ever closer to her.

"Up." Ruth raised her eyes as he nodded in understanding. She let her eyes fall closed as he wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her to him, kissing her cheek as her hands rested on his chest. She buried her head in his chest as he felt his heart rate speed up dangerously. He knew he was playing with fire in more ways than one.

"Camera in the light fitting." He whispered in her ear before kissing her temple. Ruth nodded slightly as he pulled away from her. She held his gaze for a moment longer than necessary before touching his cheek and walking out of the room.

"Shit." Harry mumbled under his breath as a million thoughts rushed through his mind.

########################

Adam sat up in bed slightly, relieved that his heart monitor had been removed for the time being. His wound burned every time he tried to move but it was a small price to play to see the look on Wes' face as he ran in the room with his nan.

"Hey mate." Wes smiled as the small boy looked at him.

"Jo said she'll buy me ice cream later."

"Charmed our Jo eh?" Adam smiled as Wes shrugged his shoulders.

"What do you expect?" Eleanor smiled. "He's a Carter. All Carter men are charmers. I should know."

"Mum." Adam sighed.

"No news?"

"Nothing. I'm beginning to get worried." Adam sighed. Wes frowned as he dug in his pockets.

"Uncle Zaf said."

"Oh God. I dread to think." Adam smiled as Wes pulled out a small dinosaur.

"He said that he's going to come to the zoo with me and Jo on Saturday to give Nan a break and that we can go and see the snakes. There's one in the zoo called Juliet. And another called Oliver."

Adam bit his lip as he tried not to laugh. The little boy had no idea why his dad had found what he said so funny but Eleanor shook her head and smirked; glad to see her son was slowly getting back to the man she had raised.

################

Ruth was breathing heavily as she got to the courtyard. She knew Harry would think she had rejected him but it had been too much. She closed her eyes and tried to drag oxygen in to her lungs. _What an idiot. He knows how I feel about him. I am not that good an actress. Harry was only trying to get information. Shit, that camera may have been there for days. They may have seen me in bed with Harry. May have seen my nightmare. _She tried to force the panic away as each possibly scenario flew through her mind, each one worse than the last.

#####################

Mani smiled at the dark haired woman as he sat at the table opposite her. A cold glass of beer on the table in front of him.

"Thank you."

"So?"

"My initial assessment may have been incorrect." He dipped his head slightly.

"How?"

"They are most certainly English. They are most certainly either married or in a relationship."

"You know this how?"

"I have my means."

"Mani."

"I have my means." He narrowed his eyes as the woman glared at him. "Trust me."

"I do not. I want that uranium. I know the Americans want to make the world believe it is evidence of weapons of mass destruction. I know there are people who would want to sell it."

"Please." Mani held her gaze. "I know what I am doing."

"Get the British out of the equation. Get the uranium, then you may get out of this alive."

###################

Harry took off his shirt and threw it in the open case as he thought about the phone call. Adam was going to be fine. He couldn't help but smile as he thought of Ruth's reactin when he told her. Closing his eyes he felt sick at the thought she had walked away from him. It had felt so right to just hold her. Sighing heavily he picked up a clean blue shirt as he heard the knock at the door.

#################

Ruth ran a hand through her hair, happy that the panic attack was more or less resolved. She stepped away from the wall and screamed as two hands grabbed her and bundled her into the back of the same car Jack had picked them up in earlier that day. An american voice warned her to stay quiet as the car sped away from the complex. Ruth nodded as she felt the man holding her release his grip.

"Good girl. Now Becky, we need to talk about your fiance."

Ruth felt her blood run cold, knowing that there was no way Harry was going to rescue her now.

################

A/N Only a short update. Work mad at the moment. Please review.


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer not mine**

**Visitors.**

"What the Hell do you want?" Harry glared at the olive skinned man who smirked back at him. The temperature in the room dropped by a few degrees as the other man almost froze under the ice in Harry's glare.

"Is this any way to greet a friend?"

"Mani." Harry stepped back into the room.

"You are being double crossed."

"What are you talking about?" Harry buttoned his shirt, suddenly terrified that something had happened to Ruth. It seemed that he had a sixth sense when it came to the Intel Analyst these days. Glaring at the younger man he finished buttoning his shirt wishing he had worn a bullet proof vest.

"The fat american with the body odour issue."

"Dunno what you are talking about." Harry lied. He had known he was right not to trust Jack. He just didn't know why.

"He ordered the lady with you. The pretty girl with the brown hair to be taken from you."

"What?" Harry stepped closer to him. "You better start talking and you better be telling me the truth."

##################

Ruth closed her eyes as the car hit yet another pot hole. She knew it was pointless to try to work out where the car was headed. She didn't know the terrain well enough to find her way back on memory alone. Instead she concentrated on trying to work out why she had been taken.

"You know she's a liability." One voice stated as she recieved a kick to the ribs. Ruth tried to lay still and feign unconsciousness.

"Yeah but the English are gonna want her back."

"Nah, if she is a spy this will be a black op. No one gonna admit they even know her. Just turn her over and let her be another Brit statistic. Her hubby aint never gonna pay the ransom. And it wont distract him long enough to loose the merchandise anyway."

_'Hubby?" _Ruth began running various scenarios through her head. She still had no idea why they hadn't tied her up. _'They have to mean Harry. If they know terminology like black op then they are CIA or something along those lines. Shit, Ruth think. Think! You are the woman that saved Adam Carter from death with a treebranch. You talked Angela Wells down. There is no way you die here. Not today.' _

Carefully she slipped the abandoned steering lock in her hand as the car lurched to the side. She had to get back to Harry, she didn't care how.

####################

"Jack is a traitor." Mani sat on the edge of the bed as Harry raised an eyebrow. "There is a reason he wants to help you get rid of the merchandise."

"Is there?" Harry glared at him.

"You have to believe me."

"I have to do nothing. Where is my colleague."

"You share a bed with all your colleagues?"

"Stop being smart with me and tell me where she is."

"I honestly do not know." Mani got to his feet as Harry glared at him.

"Tell me what you do know." He held his gaze as Mani ran a hand over his face.

"This war. This terrible war that has killed so many people, it was started because Saddam Hussein is supposed to have hid many many weapons of mass destruction."

"Among other reasons."

"None have been found." Mani started pacing. "Because there are none to be found. There are people who find this very distressing. They need the weapons to be found."

"Go on."

"The only weapon of mass destructions here are the sand and fear. If sand gets blown in your face it can blind you. As can fear. Fear may blind a man as to what is really happening."

"Very poetic Mani."

"I try."

"Try harder." Harry stepped menacingly close. He didn't want to be the small room with the former Israeli intelligence officer. He knew the man changed allegience as often as Jo changed her make up.

"Jack is planning on stealing the uranium but he wont pass it to you so you can make it safe. He will steal it and sell it on. To the American government. Then all the big news agencies will find out that Bush and his friends in the UK were correct. That the war was justified."

"It was about more than weapons. You know that."

"Umm, money and oil too if you ask me but we are not here to discuss the politics."

"Why are you even in Baghdad?"

"Money." Mani smiled slightly. "My employer pays well and she wants me to find the uranium, which I have done."

"Now what?"

"She wishes to sell it to the UK goverment so that your people can look good with this war. Same reason you want it."

"It is far from the reason I want to stop the uranium falling into the wrong hands. Do you know what could happen if it did? Who is your employer?"

"An old friend of yours." He smiled. "Although I would say she wished to be more than merely friends at one point."

"No."

"Yes." Both men turned to see Ruth leaning against the half open door. Her dress ripped and her hands and knees bloodied.

"Oh my God."

"Sweet Allah!"

"Hello." Ruth's eyes fell on Harry's as Mani covered his mouth with one hand. "Sorry, but I couldn't wait around to be rescued."

"Don't tell me, there was a few handy tree branches around?" Harry smiled slightly as relief flooded his body. If Ruth was teasing him then there was a very good chance she hadn't been as badly injured as he feared.

"One or two." She smiled as Mani stared at them.

"How?"

"Jumped out, rolled down the banking." She sighed. "Played dead when they tried to shoot me."

"Bloody Hell." Mani stared at the smaller woman. "You are amazing."

"I."

"She is." Harry held her gaze. "She really is."

"Sorry, but I wasn't about to wait around for my execution to be filled for YouTube or something just as horrendous for my family to see. Why are you here?" She stared at Mani.

"I brought information for Harry."

"Oh." Ruth glanced at Harry as he nodded.

"Yes, he has been very enlightening."

"I'm sure he has." Ruth stepped aside as Mani brushed past her. It was then Harry noticed she was shaking. In seconds he ushered her fully into the room before closing and locking the door behind her.

"Ruth."

"I'm fine." He took her hands and held them palm upright as he raised an eyebrow.

"They were going to kill me." She sighed as tears filled her eyes. "They knew I was a spy on a black op and they were going to kill me."

"Oh Ruth." He brushed her hair out of her face as the tears threatened to fall. "Do you know?"

"Who they were? Yes. Americans. Jack's name was mentioned at least twice. Part of me thinks I was allowed to escape." Harry nodded once, knowing if they had really wanted to kill her she would be laying dead in a ditch at that moment instead of in his arms. He hugged her to him as she winced.

"Sorry."

"It's ok." Ruth blushed furiously as one hand flew to her ribs. Harry nodded before gently pulling her blouse away from her skin. He frowned as he saw the boot shaped bruise that covered her ribs. A wave of anger so strong he hadn't known he was capable of washed over him.

"It is not ok."

"It's not important. Not now." She held his gaze as he looked at her.

"You are important, Ruth." She smiled slightly as one hand touched his chin.

"Harry." He closed his eyes as she spoke. "What is important is stopping Jack. If he thinks I'm dead then he may come after you."

"Let him. It'll save me chasing him. He's in this for the money. While we are trying to stop a third Gulf War he is trying to make money out of the last."

"I know." She sighed. "But we have to get that uranium out of Iraq. And we have to do it tonight or it'll be more than just us killed. I heard what they are planning. Harry, they thought I was out of it but I heard." He nodded as he listened. Before he knew what he was doing he had pulled her into his arms. She closed her eyes as she relaxed into him, knowing that in that moment at least they were both safe.

##########################

A/N Are they? What side is Mani really on? Who is Mani really working for? Please review.


	10. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer not mine.**

**Waiting.**

Harry stepped back from Ruth, aware of how their enemies may percieve him holding her if they had managed to place any more bugs in the room.

"I'll." Ruth nodded towards the bathroom before stepping away from Harry as he nodded. He closed his eyes as he thought about how close he had got to loosing Ruth forever.

##########

"Mr Carter." The nurse checked the chart at the bottom of Adam's bed. "How are you feeling?"

"Like I was shot in the chest last week."

"Indeed."

"When I can I go home?" Adam sat forward as the doctor placed the chart back in it's box.

"You still have alot of damage to the anterior pectorial muscle and the structure beneath. You can expect to have pain on breathing in for a while yet."

"Ok."

"Another few days, I'd say. The nurse tells me you are a single father."

"Wes is with his Gran." Adam immediately got on the defensive. "Look, is there any way I can use my phone in here? I really need to contact a friend." He looked at the doctor as he raised an eyebrow. "About childcare for my son."

"Oh, ok. I don't see a problem. Not everyone can get a signal in here." Adam nodded and smiled, knowing that with Colin's adaptation to his nokia he would have no problem getting a message to Harry in Iraq.

####################

"Bloody, stupid." Ruth hissed as she ran her hands under the tap. She knew she should be grateful that the hotel still had running water but the water stung as she tried to remove the grit from her bloodied hands. "Ouch, bloody idiot. Never going in the field again. Stupid."

"Ruth?" Harry knocked on the bathroom door as she sucked in a deep breath. "Ruth?"

"I'm." She paused as the cold water hit her skin. "Ok."

"Ruth, answer this door or I am coming in." Harry barked from the other side as Ruth swore under her breath. She knew that tone of voice meant there was no way he was going to be persuaded to let her be.

"I am fine." She pulled her dress closer to her body as her ribs burned with the effort.

"Ruth!" Harry barked as he tried the doorhandle. Ruth closed her eyes as she prayed he wouldn't notice the abrasions and bruises that covered her body. Her knees were still bleeding slightly as he opened the door.

"Just superficial stuff." She winced as he looked at her.

"Mani was right."

"What?" Ruth turned to face him again, almost forgetting that her ripped dress didn't cover what it once did. Harry barely seemed to realise as he focused on her face.

"You are bloody amazing. How?"

"They never tied me up." Ruth shrugged. "Then I heard them talking, about handing me over to someone."

"Who?" Harry was genuinely interested. The thought Ruth could have been passed on like an unwanted parcel made him feel sick. He knew he would kill the man with his bare hands given half the chance. He closed his eyes as he wondered how and when his feelings for the Intel Analyst had got so strong.

"I don't know." Ruth looked back at the bloodied water in the sink and carried on trying to pick out pieces of sand and grit as Harry stepped nearer to her. Before she could argue he pulled her hand towards him and began bathing it gently. "Harry."

"Mani tells me that Jack has double crossed us. You said the men that abducted you were American."

"Yes." Ruth sighed as she stared at their hands. Hers had been torn to shreds as she skidded down the hillside.

"You think they let you escape?"

"I don't see how else I could have escaped. The car stopped at this roadside. Don't ask me where." She sucked in a deep breath as he picked out a piece of grit from her left palm.

"Sorry." He glanced up at her as she bit her bottom lip.

"The driver was concentrating on the road block but the men that were in the back with me were a bit drunk." Ruth stopped.

"Did they? Were you hurt?" Harry had to ask.

"No." She winced again as he turned his attention to her right hand. "I punched one man and opened the door before jumping out the car. Only thing is the car was moving. I ended up falling down the hillside. They shot at me. I had to make them believe they had hit me." Ruth blinked as Harry nodded. "Why do you think Mani came here?"

"He said his employer wanted the uranium." Harry sighed. "Bloody stuff, more trouble than its worth."

"Harry." She raised an eyebrow as he threw the flannel in the sink.

"He said his employer thinks the Americans want the uranium to back up the stories that Saddam's regime did have WMD's. That his employer wants it so the British can prove the same thing. It could effectively cause a thrid Gulf conflict." Harry narrowed his eyes as he set about bathing and dressing her hands, aware for the first time how close she was.

"So? What do we do? It's not as if we can call Colin and have him track anything."

"Ruth." Harry's eyes lit up as he touched her face. "Mani is right, you are brilliant."

"But bonkers." Ruth sighed.

"Sorry?"

"Nothing." Ruth smiled. "What?"

"Malcolm knows where we are."

"Yeah." Ruth frowned. "And?"

"If anyone can track that stuff, it's Malcolm."

"He's in London."

"He can do this, Ruth. We can stop Jack and we can find the uranium." Ruth smiled as Harry got more and more enthusiastic. She tugged her dress tighter to her as he held her gaze. "We can do this."

"What about those contacts you have in Kuwait? Inham and Sadiq?"

"The Brothers Grim." He smiled. "I'll call them, they're not exactly America's biggest fan. They'll help."

"Go on then." Ruth returned his smile. "Ring them. Then all we can do is wait."

"Right." He paused as she pulled the plug, letting the blood stained water escape before refilling the sink and washing the flannel out.

"Will you?"

"Be alright." Ruth finished his sentance as she met his gaze. "Yes. If you stop asking me that. I've had scrapes on my knees before. I've had broken ribs before. I survived then and I will now. I always do." She smiled slightly as he nodded.

"Broken ribs?"

"Another story, probably another one in my file that you didn't read." She teased as he sighed heavily. "Now go, ring your friends and lets hope they can help us move that stuff before anyone gets hurt."

"Ok." He stepped backwards as she raised her eyebrows. In seconds he was out the door as she shook her head and returned her attention to the sink womdering when exactly she had fallen in love with her boss.

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A/N More soon, not much left now.


	11. Chapter 11

**Disclaimer not mine**

**This may be the last update for a few days. I hope not but real life is getting in the way!**

**Friends or Enemies.**

Ruth shook her head as she looked out of the hotel bedroom window. The late evening sun bounced off the gravel and sand of the hotel grounds as the few windows that weren't boarded up reflected the waning sunlight back at her.

"Ruth?" Harry sighed as he stepped out of the bathroom. It was obvious the analyst was lost in thought.

"um?"

"Are you ok?" He walked across to her as she nodded slightly, the bruises were already beginning to show on her face and arms. He dreaded to think what bruises he couldn't see. An overwhelming sense of guilt washed over him as he blamed himself for bringing her with him. _She should be on the Grid, chatting with Jo, getting teased by Zaf. Not here in this Godforsaken Hellhole. With me. An old man who may just get her killed._

_"A_ bit sore." Ruth sighed as she glanced down at her shredded hands. "What did Adam say?"

"Nothing really. Wes is with his gran until he is out of hospital. Jo is moaning to him about Malcolm and Zaf is sulking because he isn't allowed to get away with anything." Ruth smiled slightly as she thought about her friends. She knew Malcolm wouldn't allow any of the team to get away with anything while Harry was away. She turned her attention back to the window as she felt Harry step closer to her.

"There was something else." She sighed.

"How?"

"There is always something else." She glanced back to him.

"Angela Wells." Ruth tensed the moment the woman's name was mentioned. "Her funeral was today."

"Oh."

"Ruth." He rested a hand on her shoulder. "I know you had known her for a long time."

Ruth shook her head before briefly glancing at him.

"She married that man. She believed his lies and then she brakes into my house." Ruth paused. "Threatens my friends, tried to kill Jo. Then she . Then you and Adam." Ruth shook her head and looked away as Harry rested a hand on her shoulder.

"It's over." He spoke calmly as her eyes fell closed. "She can't hurt anyone now."

#########################

Adam glanced up as the door to his room opened. His dressing had been changed and he was convinced that he would manage quite well at home if only people stopped fussing.

"Colin?" He smiled slightly as the quiet man walked in.

"You alright?"

"Yeah." Adam smiled. "What's wrong?"

"Is Harry in Iraq? With Ruth?"

"What?" Adam almost froze on the spot. None of the team were supposed to know anything about the black op into the warzone. "Why do you say that?"

"I dunno." Colin half smiled as he pushed his glasses further up his nose. "You know Harry better than any of us, bar Malcolm. He never takes leave, almost always returns from any conference with the Americans before he is supposed to and Ruth does not take annual leave unless she is forced to."

"Her mum isn't well." Adam lied.

"You and I know Ruth doesn't speak to any of her family. She is alone in the true sense of the word."

"Colin. I have no idea what you are talking about. Harry is at a conference and Ruth is back in Exeter. That is all I know."

"Ok." Colin narrowed his eyes. "As long as they are ok."

"I think they are." Adam smiled. "I think they are both more than ok."

"So, should either of them return with a tan then none of us should mention it?" Colin watched as Adam rolled his eyes.

"No. None of us should say a word about it."

##########################

Harry lay on the bed and closed his eyes as he tried not to think of the risks his contacts in Kuwait were going to in order to help him and Ruth. It was clear both young men hated the Iraqi regime but weren't too sympathetic towards the Americans. He tried not to think of the fact both Inham and Sadiq were willingly putting themselves in danger to stop Jack.

"What did Malcolm say? Is it possible?" Ruth turned to face him.

"He seemed to take offence at the thought it may be beyond his capacities." He smiled as he thought of his old friend.

"He does not like anyone thinking he can't preform wonders with that computer of his. Look, I had a little look around in Jack's computer." Ruth sat on the edge of the bed.

"How?"

"Does that matter?" She smirked slightly while Harry raised an eyebrow.

"Not really."

"Anyway, he is going to pick up the merchandise tonight. I think the men that are supposed to be helping him are the ones that took me." She watched as Harry narrowed his eyes. "We have to get there before he does. There is no way he is going to call you at 4 am. Not when he has a buyer all set up. I hate to say it but Mani was right. The thing is Mani has been double crossed too."

"What do you mean?" Harry was instantly on his feet, pacing the room.

"Mani is working for British Intelligence too. Only he doesn't realise it." Ruth let the sentance hand in the air.

"Explain."

"He told you he was working for a woman. I believe that woman has also made a deal with Jack."

"Go on." Harry felt the anger twist in the pit of his stomach. For some reason he was more angry that his old friend was almost certainly responsible for the kidnap and injuries Ruth had recieved than the fact he had double crossed them.

"I think Jack and Mani have made a deal with Tessa Phillips."

##################################################

A/N More as soon as I can. Please review. Is Ruth right? Will they have to go into the Iraqi desert themselves and have we seen the last of Mani?


	12. Chapter 12

**Disclaimer I do not own Spooks. This is being written on my phone so sorry for any grammatical errors**.

** Trust**

"Tessa?" Harry glared at Ruth in the half light of the room. He felt sick that the former Head of Section K was back to her old tricks. Ruth nodded once.

"Yes."

"That mercenary bitch." Harry glared as Ruth bit her bottom lip. Her eyes focused somewhere on the floor at Harry's feet.

"Her and Jack?"

"He told her we were here. I read the email. I wouldn't be surprised if it was her that was behind those thugs taking me. That she told Jack to kill me to distract you. She has to realise this is a black op."

Harry had moved impossibly close as Ruth spoke. She wasn't quite sure how he had managed it without her realising.

"It wouldnt surprise me." Harry took her hand as he spoke.

"We have to get over the border onto Kuwait as soon as possible. What are we going to do with the merchandise?"

"I've arranged for it to be transported to England. There's an old Cold War bunker in the South of England. It can hold it for a while, then I'll arrange for it to be moved on."

"The half life of this stuff is what? A billion years and we're going to hide it?"

"Not quite that long, but yes." Harry smiled slightly as Ruth opened and closed her mouth, trying to find the words she wanted.

"Well, I'm an analyst. Not a nuclear physicist."

"I know. No one else will know where it is."

"That's madness." Ruth shook her head. "Someone else has to know. Adam?Malcolm ?"

"No." Harry sighed as his hand found hers. She couldn't drag her eyes away from his. The pull was almost magnetic.

"But if Tessa or Mani turn on us."

"I won't let them touch you." Ruth sighed at the intensity of his words. They were so close she could feel his breath on her face.

"Trust me, Ruth. Please."

"I do."

She whispered as he closed the minute gap and brushed his lips against hers. Her hand touched his cheek caressing the five o clock shadow that was beginning to show. He sighed as she allowed him to deepen the kiss. His hands found their way to her waist. Both sprang apart as the phone Harry had discarded on the bed sprang into life.

Xxxxxxxx

Colin smiled slightly as he watched Malcolm pace Harry's office with the phone clamped to one ear. The quiet techi was clearly not getting a break from Juliet who had been insisting on talking to Harry since her return to the UK. He smiled slightly as Zaf perched himself on the desk next to him.

"You know something." Zaf smiled.

"I know many things." Colin couldn't help but smirk.

"Colin!"

"Shut up Zaf." Colin laughed before returning to his latest gadget. Zaf huffed before crossing the Grid to a clearly amused Jo.

Xxxxxxx

"Thank you." Harry spoke calmly. "Yes we will." He placed his phone back in his trouser pocket while Ruth grabbed her handbag.

"Well?" She looked up as he held out his hand to her.

"Ruth, let's go home."

Xxxxxxxx

A/n hope this worked on the iPhone. Please review.


	13. Chapter 13

**Disclaimer not mine.**

**Home?**

Ruth glanced at Harry as they hurried down the steps of the hotel. The oppressive heat of the Iraqi night clinged to them as they reached the back door of the hotel. Harry frowned slightly as he saw how scared she was.

"Ruth?"

"We have to tell someone where the uranium is going to be stored."

"No. Ruth, please."

"I know. And I do trust you. I do." She touched his arm as their eyes met. "But if something happens to one of us. If something does, then it is vulnerable. Anyone could find it." Harry nodded.

"Nothing will happen to us."

"You can't know that. Look at Danny, Fiona."

"I wont let anything happen to you." He lowered his voice as Ruth bit her bottom lip.

"Harry. Anything could happen. We could be seperated, I could be kicked out of Section D. Anything could happen."

"Why on Earth would you be kicked out?"

"Well, I you never know." She sighed as she looked away, unable to take the intensity of his gaze any longer. Harry stared at her as she slipped her hand into his.

"Inham said they have the merchandise." He tried not to let his heart rate speed up too much at her touch. "We can meet them at the border. We leave now there is a very good chance we can be at the airport in Kuwait City by lunchtime tomorrow."

"Good." Ruth nodded.

#####################

"Zaf!" Jo jogged across to her desk as Zaf opened her desk drawer.

"Did you pick up my phone this morning?" He shut the drawer as she raised an eyebrow.

"Why would I do that? Are we meeting this asset or not?" She rested her hands on her hips as she spoke.

"Got ages yet."

"I need to speak to Ruth about it." Jo spoke loudly enough for Malcolm to hear as he passed. The older man smirked, Joanna Portman was nothing if not persistant.

"And you may. She called ten minutes ago. Her mother is doing well and she'll be back in work Monday. So if it can wait until then." He watched as Zaf smiled slightly.

"I'll ring her mobile. It is working now?"

"No." Malcolm lied fluently, knowing the rest of the team would never trust him again if they found out. "She dropped it in the ladies toilets at the hospital."

"Sounds like Ruth." Colin laughed as Jo rolled her eyes.

"Right, are you ready?" Zaf tapped Jo's arm as he jogged past her to the Pods. Jo narrowed her eyes as she watched Malcolm walk back to Harry's office. Something was goingn on, she was certain of it.

#######################################################

"Harry." Ruth nodded as Harry threw the car to the side of the road. A young man stood on the side of the road, his face partly obscured by a checked mask. Harry smiled slightly, recognising the young man he hadn't seen since he was a child. Ruth frowned slightly but relaxed at Harry's apparent relief to see the boy.

"Inham."

"That's Inham? He's a child!" She hissed as Harry nodded.

"He is, compared to an old man like me."

"You are not old." Ruth snapped on reflex. Harry smiled, relieved that she didn't seem to think he was as past it as Juliet had said.

"I worked with his father, Ahmed in Berlin about six years ago. We kept in touch." He opened the car door as the young man approached. Ruth frowned slightly, unsure whether she wanted to know what had happened during Harry's time in Berlin. The more she learned the less she was sure she wanted to know. She got out the car and followed him.

"Harry!" The younger man smiled. "We did it! We did it!"

"Thank you." Harry shook his hand. "You and your brother are safe? No one was exposed."

"Of course we are. You know what my brother did before this trecherous war broke our country." He shook his head. "He has contacts. The merchandise was handled as needed. No one dies of radiation poisoning and no one dies because of Saddam's lies or America's ego."

"So, the spirit of Atlantism lives on here too." Ruth smiled slightly as the boy met her eyes.

"I do not like lies." He shrugged. "You must me Ruth?"

"Yes." She smiled as he nodded.

"We have to go. Now." He nodded towards a small car that was parked up ahead. The youth at the wheel no older than a teenager nodded. Ruth narrowed her eyes, there was somting about the young man in the driving seat she didn't trust. Inham turned to her and spoke in Arabic.

"Don't worry, I have known your old man all my life. I will make sure you are safe."

Ruth smiled, aware that Harry had no idea what Inham had said to her.

"He is not my old man." She replied in fluet arabic. "And he is not old."

"Oh I think you'll find he is. At least on the first account. " Inham smiled as they reached the car. Harry frowned. He had the feeling that he was the subject of the conversation but he had no idea what was being said. Instead of asking he placed his hand on the small of Ruth's back before ushering her into the car. Ruth met Inham's eye and blushed, aware that he was probably right.

"Harry?"

"Yes."

"Thank you." She whispered, the darkened roads of Baghdad flashed by as the driver tried adn failed to miss the numerous pot holes and bomb damage in the roads.

"What for?"

"Bringing me here." She sighed as he squeezed her hand. He knew he could trust Inham but he had no idea what they would face when they got to the border. The young man would leave them there before slipping back home so that coalition troops would not know he had breached his curfew.

"You were kidnapped, almost murdered and have been scared witless."

"Yes," Ruth conceeded. "But that's a normal day on the Grid these days." She smiled as Harry raised an eyebrow.

"Ruth?"

"Thankyou for trusting me." She blinked and looked away. "I can't believe we are going home. Jo is going to see through my cover story. I don't talk to my mother. Not since. Well, not for a while."

"Don't worry. If she says anything, there's a position open in Syberia that she could fill." He teased as Ruth closed her eyes. The lull of the car and Harry's close proximity meant she was asleep in seconds. Harry met Inham's eye in the rear view mirror and nodded once. The driver swung the car into the side street as an American army tank drove past. His phone bleeped once as the driver killed the engine. Harry swore before checking the phone. One text message flashed at him. Malcolm had done it. They were safe. He smiled, knowing that Malcolm would be sat in London sweating with fear as he waited his reply. The driver restarted the engine as he tapped out a message.

'both safe. Thankyou. On way home. Shopping being delivered asap."

Ruth stirred as the car hit another dip in the road. Her eyes met hisas he squeezed her hand.

"We're safe." He sighed, hoping he was right. "He did it."

"Harry?" Ruth yawned, seeing the familiar boarder patrols in the distance. "How long?"

"You needed your rest. We're nearly there." She smiled slightly and nodded. For a moment she wasn't sure if it was the journey he was talking about or them but one thing she did know was everything was about to change.

######################################

a/n penultimate chapter up soon. Please review


	14. Chapter 14

**Disclaimer not mine, sorry for delay in update.**

**Homeward Bound?**

Adam smiled slightly as he pulled his jacket over his injured shoulder. The wound stung like Hell itself but the fact he was putting on his jacket meant he was going home. His mother and Wes were on the way to collect him. Adam closed his eyes. The enormity of what happened hit him. His son, his only child had already lost his mum. There was no way he was going to loose his dad. Adam sighed heavily, there was no way he was going to leave his mother without her only child either.

"Dad!" Wes bounded into the room, seconds ahead of Eleanor.

"Hiya Mate." Adam smiled broadly. "You ok?"

"Gran said that we should have ice cream when you get home. To celebrate."

"Good idea." Adam smiled. Wes tried to pick up the bag Eleanor had brought from home. Adam shook his head before picking it up in his good hand. Eleanor rolled her eyes before following her boys out of the hospital room. She still couldn't quite believe her son had followed in her footsteps.

###################

"Harry." Ruth whispered his name as his hand found it's way to the small of her back.

"James and Rebecca here." He whispered in her ear. Her eyes fell closed, mentally chastising herself. She sighed as he pulled her into his arms. "Syrian intelligence about thirty foot away. I just saw Jim Coaver here too." He stopped, feeling Ruth tense in his arms. She had heard the name Coaver more than once, always to do with CIA operations that were meant to stay under the radar. She looked around the bus station, praying that Coaver hadn't seen them.

"What?"

"We can't stay here." Harry released her. Already preparing to move, but unable to prepare himself for how empty he felt when she stepped away from him.

"But."

"It's too dangerous." Harry took her hand, leading her to a small corner of the overcrowded and incredibly noisy bus station.

"The Kuwait City bus is leaving in less than five minutes." Ruth turned to look out over the crowd, aware that no one seemed to be paying any attention to them.

"Rebecca." Harry closed his eyes, he had to get her to trust him. They had come so far, to loose everything now was unthinkable. He opened his eyes to see her staring intently at him.

"Ok, what are you thinking?"

"Inham is Iraqi. But Kurdistan Iraqi, he had absolutely no alliegence to the Ba'thist regime. His family were caught up in the attacks Saddam launched on the Northen Kurds back in the 1980s. It's a miracle the boy and some of his family survived."

"But?" Ruth couldn't drag his eyes away from him.

"The boy, the driver."

"I don't trust him. I don't know why. It's clear Inham does."

"True." Harry nodded.

"I wish I could run his name through the system back home." She sighed. "His surname was so familiar."

"Hassan? It's as common in this part of the world as Smith or Evans back home."

"True, I know. It's just." Ruth shook her head. "How do you suggest we get home?"

"I have a contact further along the boarder. We could." He stopped, realising how tired Ruth looked. He rested one hand on her shoulder before pulling her into the doorway as shots ran out through the bus station.

"What the?" Ruth looked around, convinced that Mani had sold them out.

"Stay quiet." Harry hugged her to him. "It's insurgents. It's nothing to do with us." He pulled Ruth back into his arms as he watched the scene unfold over her shoulder.

"What's happening?" She mumbled into his shirt. The adrenaline flooding through her veins. Harry buried his face in her neck.

"Security just shot a man dead. I have no idea why. Another has been detained." He almost breathed the words in her ear.

"Who?"

"Syrian officers. They shot the spy."

"Shit." Ruth pushed herself away from Harry for a moment, observing the macarbe scene in front of her. Harry kept his hand on the small of her back, aware that what was happening in front of them put them at even greater risk. "What do we do now?"

"We get to Kuwait City and we get that flight back to Heathrow as planned."

"But, you just."

"They think they have their spy." He shook his head as an elderly man walked towards the disfigured corpse and covered the dead man with his overcoat, at least allowing the dead man some dignity.

"Right." Ruth blinked back tears, watching the security personnel approach the pensioner. She wanted to scream for them to leave the elderly man alone. He nodded once before standing and walking off with them. Harry watched her for a moment, amazed at how she still managed to keep her sense of compassion despite all they had witnessed.

"The bus. Come on Ruth. Let's go home." He led her past the soldiers, Iraqi and Kuwait nationals and into the terminal where the bus would pick them up. Ruth looked around, certain that it was only a matter of time before their cover was blown.

########################

A/N more soon. Ruth and Harry have to get home at some point! Please review.


	15. Chapter 15

**Disclaimer not mine]**

**The Road to Home**

The bus was packed full of people headed for the Kuwait/Iraq border as Harry pulled Ruth towards him. He was relieved they were finally heading out of the war torn country. The niggling worry that they weren't out of the woods yet still hung on. Sighing heavily he looked around the bus. The seats already occupied they were forced to stand. He rested a hand on the small of her back while she let herself be pulled almost into his arms. The armed guards at the bus station still at the forefront of her mind. She knew that for weeks to come the image of the little old man covering the dead body with his coat would be at the forefront of her dreams.

"Ruth." Harry whispered in her ear. A man was shouting in arabic that the bus was too full. Harry had no idea what was being said but he had an idea of the sentiment.

"It's too full." Ruth half whispered. "The bus is too full."

"I can see that."

"I don't like it, something is going to go wrong. I can just feel it."

"Ruth."

"Rebecca."

"Touche." He smiled slightly as she finally met his eye. "The merchandise is halfway to the UK."

"Yes." She nodded slightly. "But we aren't."

She froze as another man began shouting in Arabic, clearly angry with the bus driver. Ruth glanced out of the window, nothing but desert surrounded them. She felt sick as the combination of heat, other people's body ordour and fear began to overwhelm her. Harry tightened his hold on her, all the while trying to see where the man who was shouting was stood. He could sense by the general atmosphere on the bus and the various mentions of Alah that he was hearing that him and Ruth were very likely in trouble.

##########################

"Home, sweet home." Eleanor smiled as Wes bounded down the small hallway to the kitchen. Adam smiled at his mum's was obvious where his son got his ability to look on the bright side from. He nodded once, hating the fact that half of his life was kept from his mother. He knew she had an idea what he did but there was no way he could tell her the whole story. He watched the little boy he had Fiona had debated having run from the kitchen to the living room. Wes was just happy to have his Dad home and was enjoying having his Gran there to spoil them.

"Yeah." Adam sighed heavily.

"What is it? Come on son."

"Nothing Mum."

"Out with it, my boy." Eleanor turned to him. "I know you were shot because of something in work. I know Fiona, God rest her died because of something to do with the Grid."

"It sounds so strange, you referring to it as The Grid."

"Yeah, well. You've signed the Act as well as I have. You deserve to know that I am a sleeper agent. I worked in counter terrorism before you were born. Before you were even thought of."

"Mum."

"Ask Harry. He and Henry Parks were in my section." Eleanor smiled at the memory. "It was how I met your father, although the least said about him the better."

"You never say anything about him." Adam paused. "Hold on, you're not telling me that." Adam left the thought hang in the air. Eleanor burst out laughing.

"No, you daft bat. Your father was not on the staff of the Anti Terrorism Section." Adam sighed in relief. "It was just as dangerous in those days. Connie still around?"

"Connie? No idea." Adam stared at her. "Think so, but not my section. Mum, are you serious?"

"I had a life before you were born." She smiled at her son. Adam shook his head. It seemed his mum being a housekeeper was only half the story. "I am right about you? Fiona?"

"Me? Yes. Fiona only partly. Her ex husband killed her. She died in my arms." Adam's eyes clouded over. Eleanor nodded once. She had known it would be something like that. The sound of children's television could be heard from the living room. Adam closed his eyes, there was no time to dwell on what had gone before. He was needed. Eleanor squeezed his hand before turning and walking towards the living room.

##########################################

"Stay quiet." Ruth mumbled in to Harry's shirt. Armed men had stopped the bus less than five minutes earlier. He tightened his hold on her in response. Every cell in his body wanted to grab the young man with the gun and knock him senseless but it was clear that would do no good. "If they hear a UK accent we are dead."

He kissed the top of her head in respose, aware that she was right. The man with the tarten headscarf approached quickly, rifle pointed at the heads of all those who had been able to get seats. Ruth could feel her pulse racing, she was certain her heart was going to explode out of her chest. The man with the gun pointed it directly at the old woman sat next to where Ruth stood. He barked at her in his own language, the elderly lady too scared to reply. Ruth had never been so angry in her life. It took every ounce of strength she had not to reach forward and grab the man. He repeated his order for money in Arabic. Ruth closed her eyes, suddenly all the anger at Angela Wells, her step brother and even Harry for putting her in the same room as her former sister in law. Before Harry could react she had slipped out of his arms and yelled at the man in arabic.

"GO AWAY! LEAVE HER ALONE.!" Ruth barked, one hand on the barrel of the gun. Harry felt his blood run cold. The younger man was clearly shocked. It was obvious the man had never been challenged before. Now he had Ruth yelling at him in his own language, asking him if his mother would approve of what he was doing and did he think he was going to sit at Allah's side after terrifying an innocent pensioner? Ruth stopped suddenly, aware that all eyes, including Harry's were on her.

"Away - we go now!" A familiar voice yelled in Arabic. The young men were off the bus as quickly as they had arrived. Ruth sagged against Harry, suddenly exhausted.

"I shouldn't have done that." She whispered quietly. Harry chuckled slightly, knowing she would be analysing her actions forever.

"No." He whispered into her hair. "Probably not. But you were amazing." He held her gaze. She raised an eyebrow. "But I think we know we were right not to trust Hasan."

"I knew I recognised him." Ruth turned back to where the man had been standing. It was then she started to shake. The possible outcome of her actions suddenly hitting her. Harry pulled her into his arms as the bus started moving again.

"We're going home. Ruth, we're going home."

#######################################

A/N More soon.


	16. Chapter 16

**Disclaimer not mine. Thank you for all the reviews. **

**Back to Reality?**

"Malcolm?" Colin pushed his glasses further up his nose as he watched his friend walk towards him. It was clear that the older technical officer was far from happy.

"Internal Affairs have been on the phone. Again."

"I see," Colin smiled. "So are they going to do anything about our mice infestation? I mean the size on that hole."

"Indeed." Malcolm sighed. "I will be glad to see Harry back."

"Do we know when he is coming back?" Zaf asked as he placed a coffee in front of Colin who smiled gratefully.

"Monday." Malcolm almost sagged in relief. "I had a call this morning. His conference is finally over."

Zaf nodded as Jo returned to the Grid. He nodded towards the kitchenette as the young blonde nodded.

##################

"We made it." Ruth mumbled as she smiled. It was already dark by the time they had reached Kuwait City bus station. Harry nodded and smiled at her. She was clearly exhausted. Wiping a hand across his face he realised she was no more exhausted than he was. What little sleep they had once they had arrived in Baghdad had been broken by worry, nightmares and far off and not so far off bombs and gunfire. He glanced across the concourse to the one little food shop that was still open.

"We need to eat." He nodded towards the brightly lit cafe.

"I'm not hungry." Ruth answered. Her growling stomach condradicted her.

"No? Doesn't sound like." Harry smiled. Ruth rolled her eyes.

"What about the taxi? We have to be at the airport."

"Not for another hour. After the bus ride from Hell I think we deserve the rest. And the food."

"Am I getting a say in this?" Ruth watched as Harry smirked. "Didn't think so." She let him take her hand, marvelling at how natural it felt and allowed him to lead her to the small fast food resteraunt in the corner of the bus station.

################

"Mum." Adam smiled slightly. His mum had decided to stay in London until she was satisfied he was really back on his feet. He loved having her at home for the first time since he had left for univeristy as a teenager but he also felt incredibly guilty she had abandoned her own life to care for him.

"Wes is fast asleep." Eleanor smiled. "He is so much like you at that age."

"Not sure that is a good or bad thing." Adam returned the smile.

"Neither am I, at the moment. I'll let you know. Now." She looked towards her only child. "I am not cooking tonight, so pass me that phone."

"My mother, ordering takeaway? That's a first."

"Yes." Eleanor narrowed her eyes at him. "You can also tell me what the Hell you are doing working with Harry Pearce when I thought you worked for the MOD?"

"Me?" Adam scoffed. "What about you being a sleeper agent all these years? I thought you were a former school teacher turned housekeeper."

"We all have our secrets, son." Eleanor smiled. "Now, pizza or chinese?"

##########

Ruth sipped her tea nervously. She had wanted coffee but Harry had been right about caffiene making her jittery. That was the last thing they needed. He stared out of the window as she picked at her sandwich.

"Ruth,"

"I am not going to stop worrying." She met his eyes. "I don't trust Mani."

"Neither do I."

"But?"

"I told you. That man is an expert at what he does. Mossad trained him but he sells his skills to the highest bidder. Tessa just happened to be the highest bidder and I imagine the CIA have a few rogue operatives still around. Jack wont be the only one who wants to find these mysterious WMDs. You and I know it was never really about finding them to stop Saddam. It was to justify their actions and intimate those who had been against the invasion."

"But,"

"I know. Means to an end." Harry sighed. "The DG was right. There is no way we could let that merchandise get into the wrong hands." Ruth nodded. She glanced at her hand as he covered hers with his. "I couldn't have done any of this without you."

"I."

"Thank you." Harry spoke softly. She had never seen him so unsure of himself. She knew he was right. If Tessa had got her hands on the uranium there was no telling who she may have sold it to.

"You didn't really need me." Ruth blushed. "I think you'd have managed."

"Maybe." Harry conceeded. "But there is an equal chance I'd have ended up murdered with the footage on You Tube." Ruth closed her eyes, the memory of the American's hands on her arms and waist still prominent in her mind. She knew she had been dangerously close to becoming another statistic. Harry held her hand a little tighter.

"I." She blushed furiously as he smiled at her.

"Ruth, it's over. Come on. let's go home."

She nodded and looked at the table. Part of her couldn't wait to see Jo and Zaf, to know how Malcolm coped with being in charge and whether Adam really was ok. Another part of her didn't want to loose what her and Harry had developed. Harry watched her as she hesitated.

"Ruth?"

"It's going to be different now. Isn't it?"

"Hopefully, the war will be over soon and we can get on with what we are supposed to be doing." His eyes lingered on her face longer than strictly necessary. Ruth sighed and nodded once. "You mean different with us?"

"Forget it." Ruth smiled sadly. "Forget I said it." She got to her feet, ready to leave. The taxi would be waiting to take them to the airport.

"No." Harry touched her arm to stop her. For a second Ruth forgot everything as she met his gaze. "No, I dont think I want to forget anything. I don't think I want to go back to the way it was when we were at home. Before all this." Ruth swallowed hard before nodding once. Harry smiled, the old man who ran the cafe began trying to usher them out. He wanted to close the shop. Harry left a few notes on the table and led Ruth out towards the waiting taxi. The road to Baghdad had nearly been the death of them both and Adam was still recovering from their last battle. Shaking his head he slipped into the taxi next to Ruth as she gave the destination in perfect Arabic. Harry smiled at her; knowing he would never have been able to charm the driver quite as well as the analyst had. He swore slightly as his mobile phone bleeped. Ruth gazed out of the car window as he read his text message. He closed his eyes as his blood ran cold.

'_Harry , friend. I feel our paths will cross once more. You may be useful to me as I have been to you. Keep an eye out my friend."_

He snapped the phone shut and glared out of the winbdow. Ruth turned to face him.

"Harry?"

"It's ok." He smiled slightly. "I think we're ok."

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A/N Back to London next time. Please review


	17. Chapter 17

**Disclaimer. Not mine. Thanks for all the reviews. I am truely amazed.**

**London Calling.**

"Malcolm." Zaf jogged from the Pods towards his friends. The older techni raised an eyebrow, uncertain if he was ready to deal with whatever Zaf Younis and Joanna Portman had found this time.

"Remind me when is Harry back?" He mumbled as Colin smiled.

"Not long."

"Thank the Lord." Malcolm turned to face Zaf and Jo. "Hello."

"You know the Jameson case?"

"I am afraid I do." Malcolm sighed wearily. "I am afraid I do."

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Ruth smiled slightly as the plane landed at Heathrow. She had never been so relieved to be back on UK soil. She glanced at Harry who had fallen asleep about an hour earlier. She couldn't help but smile as he groggily did up his seatbelt at the airhostess insistance.

"How long was I asleep?"

"A while." Ruth relaxed her grip on the arms of her chair as the plane taxied to a halt.

"Sorry." He yawned sleepily as Ruth shook her head.

"Don't be." She paused for a moment. "Harry?"

"Yes."

"You were supposed to be at a high level intelligence conference. I was supposed to be nursing my sick mother."

"Yes?"

"How do we explain the tan? I didn't realise you had caught the sun quite so much until we got to the plane." Ruth twisted the hem on her blouse.

"I was in America for the conference. You? Out of a bottle? I know Jo is always going on about St Tropics or something."

"Do I look like the type of woman to bother with fake tan?" Ruth smiled and shook her head.

"Well."

"Harry!" Ruth shook her head as she got to her feet. The other passengers had already begun to leave the plane. Harry stared at her for a moment as she felt her skin flush. Blushing she shook her head. "How do we get back home from here?"

"Taxi." Harry sighed as he followed her towards the airport terminal. "I contacted Dempsey, there was no way we were going to get a list home. Blue Troop are already in the middle of some Godawful nightmare in Afghan."

"Oh." Ruth sighed heavily as she thought of the young soldiers that had worked alongside her and Section D on more than one occasion. She knew what they did was highly dangerous work. She now realised what they did was now just as dangerous in a more understated way. She bit her bottom lip as she thought about the changes in her life since she had joined Section D.

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"God, I'll be glad when Ruth gets back." Jo moaned as she stared in to the filing cabinet. "How does she do this?"

"What?" Colin looked up from his latest gadget and shook his head.

"This!" Jo gestered towards the filing cabinet. "I will never and I mean never understand Ruth's filing system. How does she find anything?"

"Bonkers. That's what Zoe used to call her. Bonkers but brilliant." Colin smiled as he remembered his friend. He knew she had no idea whether she knew Danny had been killed and he couldn't help up wondering if she ever would.

"What are you looking for?" Ruth shrugged off her coat as Jo banged her head against the filing cabinet.

"Ruth!"

"Yes." Ruth smiled.

"How's your Mum?"

"Fine." Ruth sighed as she shrugged off her coat. "Still hates me. What were you looking for?"

"The file of Luke Southerby? Arms dealer we arrested two years ago."

"We?" Malcolm raised an eyebrow as he watched Zaf pull the newly returned analyst into a hug.

"Danny and Tom arrested him a couple of years ago." Ruth explained. "It's in the second drawer down. Under M."

"M?"

"For Mule." Harry barked as he was released from the Pods. "Miss Portman. Southerby used drug mules to get his muck into this country. The codename for the op was Mule." He looked at Ruth who just shook her head.

"Mule." Jo repeated. "Of course." The file was in her hand in seconds. Harry shook his head before leaving the assembled spooks in the main Grid and walking into the office. Ruth followed him with her eyes before turning back to her workstation. Jo raised an eyebrow as Ruth booted up the computer.

"What?" Ruth watched as Jo sat at Zaf's desk.

"Much sun in Exeter?"

"No."

"Then how come you look as if you spent a fortnight in Ibiza instead of a week at your Mum's?"

"My cousin is training to be a beautician. I was her guinea pig. Can't wait until it washes off actually." Ruth hated lying to Jo but she also hated being gossiped about. Zaf called Jo's name as Ruth looked up to see Harry watching her through the blinds in his office. She smiled slightly before returning to her computer.

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The Grid had fallen into darkness as Ruth found herself the last person on the Grid. The paperwork had been mounting up in her absence. Harry had no idea how long he had been staring at her but he had the feeling she knew she was being watched. Looking around she realised she was the last person on the Grid. Colin had left her about an hour earlier.

"Ruth?" He approached her desk as she looked up.

"Hi."

"How are you? Really?"

"Glad to be home." Ruth smiled back at him. "You?"

"Same." He leant against Zaf's desk. "Any problems?"

"Jo tried to reorganise my system for filing. Zaf has probably developed a phobia of that filing cabinet and I am sure either he or Colin have pinced my good coffee." Ruth huffed. Harry smiled.

"Not much changes."

"Doesn't it?" Ruth raised her eyes to meet his.

"No. Malcolm is now more terrified of Juliet than he was before I left. Adam called. He's fine, should be back soon."

"Thank God." Ruth smiled in spite of herself. "That boy has nine lives."

"Yeah." Harry loosened his tie. "Not much changes." Ruth looked away sharply and began typing things onto her computer.

"Doesn't it?"

"Some things do, Ruth." He smiled as her eyes stayed fixed on the monitor. He cursed himself before closing his eyes. He gently touched her face forcing her to look at him. "Some things do, I can feel it."

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A/N And thats all folks. xxx


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